Win the Congress Award Graz!

Definition and prize money

The Congress Award Graz honours event organisers from the fields of science, research and commerce and also from the NPO sector which, in the process of staging meetings, conferences and congresses in Graz, have acted as ambassadors for the city on a local, national and international level.

Thanks to its busy congress and meeting activities, Graz has positioned itself as a hub for business, research and science. The Congress Award Graz shows the appriciation Graz has for the work of event organisers. Those considered for the award have been of great service to the city of Graz in a wide range of areas.

The Congress Award Graz was initiated by the city of Graz, Messe Congress Graz Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. and Graz Tourismus & Stadtmarketing GmbH. The prize is donated by the city of Graz as the result of a proposal passed by the city council.

Categories and prizes

The prize is awarded in the following categories:

regularly occurring events

special one-off events

innovative special events

Each Congress Award Graz is worth€ 2000,- and all winners are awarded the full amount.

Invitations to the Congress Awards Graz are issued by the mayor, Siegfried Nagl. The ceremony takes place during a gala evening in the Stefaniensaal hall at Congress Graz. Information on previous winners is available here.

Applications and submissions

Applications are chosen based on submissions. The application questionnaire can be downloaded as a pdf file at the bottom of this page.

All organisers of congresses, conferences and meetings that were held in the year running up to the award ceremony, and who have submitted their details by the deadline, are entitled to make a submission.

Selection process and jury

The jury is made up of five to seven members (or elected representatives) and every year it is convened to adjudge the work of the previous twelve months. the jugdes are nominated in consultation with the rectors of the Graz universities (Karl-Franzens University, the Technical University, the Medical University, and the University of Performing Arts), the Grazer specialist colleges, the Academy of the Sciences, the teaching colleges, the management of the Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH., the management of Department 3 – Science and Research department of the Styrian Provincial Government, and the Office of Culture which is responsible for the support of scientific activities in the city of Graz.

The jury choses the Congress Award winners from all submissions in the various categories. There is, however, no obligation for a winner to be chosen in every category. In addition to this, the initiators and jurors are also allowed to become actively involved and nominate events they consider worthy of consideration.